The Mafia's Babies by Kaycee Romano (little readers TXT) 📕

A black SUV skidded to a halt in front of the ice cream place. Steve, the other new bodyguard of the children, jumped out of it and rushed in. "Let's go!" He said. 

Robin turned and picked up Lucas, Kiara was in Jacqueline's arms and Victor guided them out of the building while Steve, George and Davis watched the other scared civilians, scanning for any suspicious faces. 

Victor got into the driver's seat while Jacqueline and Kiara was helped into the back. Robin helped Lucas in and closed the door. Victor hit the gas and rushed out of the site before anything else could happen.

.

.

.

"Are you mad at us?" River asked as Mateo babied her, spoon-feeding her the oatmeal he had prepared. 

"No, I guess Sia is right. How long are we going to hide like this?" Mateo sighed, keeping the bowl and spoon on the tray. 

It  was the truth. Mateo had decided that they needed to stop running. When two months ago, he got to know that he was a father, something in him changed. He was paranoid and frantic and doubtful of his abilities to protect his children. 

It was something that all parents went through, no matter where they were from. 

"I..." River started but then stopped, clearing her throat.

"What's wrong?" Mateo asked, climbing onto the bed with her. 

"Well, I felt like everything was going to be okay now." She shrugged. "That's why I didn't think much into letting the kids go. But now I am worried." She let out a tired breath. 

"That comes with being a mother." He smiled, brushing back a loose strand of her wild curls, the same curls that  his two beautiful children had inherited. He wondered if their third child would inherit these same springs. 

"What are you thinking?" River giggled, watching her boyfriend get lost in his thoughts as he stared lovingly at her hair. 

"I wonder who our next kid is going to look like." He smiled cheekily at her. 

Well, River was sure that Mateo expected her to blush at that, but she was not going to give her poor boyfriend that satisfaction. 

She smiled sweetly at him and asked, "I see that someone is in a hurry for another baby?" 

Mateo chuckled. Of course she was going to play. Sometimes, he wished that her aromantic girlfriend would at least pretend to be shy or flustered for his sake, but would he have this relationship any other way? Those rare moments when River got tongue-tied or stared at him blinking like an idiot, he lived for those moments. 

And the fact remained that this woman was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. Apart from the kids of course. 

"Maybe." He dropped his voice as he leaned in for a kiss. 

River smiled into the kiss, Mateo grabbing the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. 

River pecked his lips one last time before pulling back, taking deep breaths. She looked over at the screen. Her heart beat was pretty high. 

"You are very bad for me." She said, laughing. 

"Too bad I am the only one for you!" Mateo winked. 

"I know right. Too bad." River scrunched up her face and then chuckled. 

The two looked over at the door as Adam and Alessia walked in, looking worried. 

"The kids are safe?" Mateo and River asked in unison, understanding exactly what was wrong from the expressions on their faces. 

Alessia nodded. "They will be here any minute, with Victor and Jacqueline." 

"What happened?" Now that they knew that their kids were safe, River wanted to know what exactly had gone wrong. 

"The security vans were blown up." Adam breathed out. "They missed the van that Steve was in, so he rode it over and picked the kids and Jacqueline up. Victor is driving it. George and Davis are staying back to deal with whatever new trouble we will be getting from the cops. Robin and Steve are also on their way." 

"Jacqueline left her phone in the ice cream place and Victor's is switched off." Alessia tossed her phone on the bed, in between River's legs. 

River took deep breaths to calm herself down. 

It was fine. 

Nothing happened to the kids.

They were on their way here. 

What's taking them so long? The ice cream place is just five minutes from the hospital. 

"I don't feel so good about this." She spat out and looked up at Mateo. "What's taking them so long?"

"They will be here." Mateo stepped forward and cupped her face with his hands. "Don't worry about it. They escaped the worst that could happen."

River nodded. 

That's right.

They will be here.

.

.

.

They did not come back. 

Steve and Robin reached the hospital and the kids, Victor and Jacqueline were still missing. 

Davis tracked Victor's last location and found the SUV and Victor's dead phone. And there was blood on the driver's door. 

Someone had gotten to them. 

And they could not even guess if all of them were safe. 

"This is all my fault." River covered her face with her hands as she sobbed. 

Mateo let out a deep breath and was by her side within minutes. 

"Hey, you know it isn't. Stop blaming yourself." He said, brushing her hair. "We will get them back. Don't stress yourself." 

River looked up and sniffed, staring at the man she loved and hugged him. "I love you and our kids so much." She sobbed. "I won't be able to live if something happened to any of you." 

This moment was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of Mateo's life. The moment where River, for the first time in their relationship, told him and acknowledged that she loved him. But alas, the sweetness of the moment could not even be cherished because of the circumstances they were in. 

"I know." Mateo hummed as he hugged her back, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "I won't let anything happen to them as well. So stay calm and stay put, I will bring our babies back, alright?"